Saisei
by Mokushiyami
Summary: In a last ditch effort to win the 5th Ninja War, Uzumaki Naruto leads Konoha into battle against the Sound Village led by his old rival Uchiha Sasuke. During the battle Naruto and two other ninjas get something that none of them expected: A second chance.
1. The Will of Fire

**Author's Note:** Hi Everyone, and well to my first fanfic: **Saisei!**

The origin of this story is actually very interesting. One night when I was about to fall asleep, it just came to me. I quickly wrote down what I remembered, and here is the result! This story is AU and takes place well after the manga.

Now, I feel that I should tell you that I am a perfectionist when it comes to writing, so expect some time between updates! I currently have the first three chapters written, however the next two still need to be edited and revised. But enough of my blabbering, on with the show!

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

**Disclaimer:** All Naruto Characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I'm just borrowing them for my own twisted means. ;)_  
_

**Chapter 1: The Will of Fire**

Uzumaki Naruto shifted uncomfortably inside his sleeping bag, before gazing through the open tent-flap at the stars in the sky. They were twinkling merrily, blissfully unaware of the chaos the next day would bring. He couldn't help but feel that everything he had worked for and accomplished was building up to this moment. He also couldn't say he knew what the outcome of the battle would be, but he knew one thing for certain.

Tomorrow, Uchiha Sasuke would die.

* * *

The early morning came dark and cold, which was unusual for the time of year. It was as if the world itself was shying away from the battleground, taking all the warmth the night had contained with it.

Ignoring the cold, a female ninja slowly dressed, trying to focus on the fight ahead and failing miserably. She grabbed her equipment pouch out from under her sleeping bag and reached into it. Her hand wrapped around a familiar piece of cold steel and she instantly felt better. It brought out a calmness in her, just like it had done many times before. It wasn't something that she could ever explain, or put into words. It was just a feeling.

She carefully pulled the object from the pouch, tenderly running her fingers over the many dents and scratches marring the surface of the once pristine metal. Inside the dark tent, she could just barely make out the faint outline of the leaf insignia.

_Neji..._

Her hand involuntarily tightened around it, shaking slightly. A lone tear slid down her cheek before she hurriedly wiped it away, cursing herself for her foolishness for what must have been the thousandth time.

Taking a deep breath, she tucked the headband securely back into the pouch, and began stretching out her tense muscles, trying to alleviate her anxiety. All too soon (or at least it seemed to her) a horn sounded through the camp, alerting all ninjas that it was time to report.

With a final shiver, Tenten exited the tent.

* * *

Konoha's temporary base was buzzing with activity. Captains were yelling and screaming orders throughout the camp, and others were running to follow them, nearly tripping over themselves in their haste. In the distance, the enemy camp was doing much the same.

Shikamaru was seated at the end of a large table bearing a map of the area, which was completely surrounded the Tactics Squad, and they were quietly but furiously discussing strategies and gesturing at the map. As Naruto entered their tent, everyone except the Nara genius stood and gave him a quick bow before resuming their planning in hushed tones. The lazy former Jounin-now Tactics Commander just sighed as he leaned back in his chair and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "troublesome" under his breath.

"Shikamaru, Report." He reluctantly stood up.

"Tch, it's not good Naruto. The Sound ninja outnumber us about ten to one. And thanks to Kabuto, they have information about many of us and our abilities. We're at a serious disadvantage."

"What do you suggest?" Naruto replied.

Shikamaru sighed. "Our best bet is to channel all of them into this small peninsula here," He said, gesturing with his hand towards a spot not too far from their current location on the map. "so we can limit the number of enemies we're engaged with at one time. On the bad side, it also puts us at great risk, because if they have any forces lying in wait, they can easily attack us from behind."

"So you're saying we need to find a way to prevent them from attacking us on two fronts?"

"Hai."

Naruto absent-mindedly scratched his chin in thought. Moments later an mischievous grin appeared on his face, one that many had not seen for a very long time. The others present in the room involuntarily shuddered at the look on his face. They had seen that look many times before, and it was usually followed by a very embarrassing prank or mass chaos.

Shikamaru had a feeling it might be both.

"Eh, Hokage-sama-"

Naruto waved him off.

"I'll make sure we don't have to worry about an attack from the rear, just continue working on your plan."

With that, he walked away, still wearing that evil plotting expression on his face.

_Those poor Sound ninjas won't know what hit 'em._

_

* * *

_

A tense mood descended over the camp as the morning drew near. The sound of ninjas sharpening their kunai and shuriken now filled the air, along with the hushed sounds of people whispering tersely to one another and the tents flapping loudly in the strong wind.

All the ninjas of Konoha had gathered in the center of camp, going over last minute preparations and plans. Naruto, now donned in his Hokage robes, sat quietly in his spot in the center of the group, observing the scene. These would be the last peaceful moments for many of Konoha's ninjas. Who knew how many would be dead before the battle was done? The deaths of shinobi under his command constantly weighed heavily on his shoulders and heart, especially those closest to him. _Sakura, Kakashi, Sai, Iruka-sensei..._ The list went on and on. But he had no time to grieve, that would have to come later. It was his duty as Hokage to provide an example for the rest of the ninjas to follow.

_At least after today_, he thought with a grimace, _the war will be over._

When everyone started to look in his direction he knew it was his time to speak. He stood, and silence fell almost immediately. He slowly rotated on the spot, etching the image of them into his memory, as thousands of eyes locked onto him. He met their gazes in return and could see the many different emotions coarsing through them. Fear. Excitement. Determination. Hope.

Licking his dry lips, he began to speak.

"Today, my fellow ninja, marks the end of an era of war and destruction. Now I know that we are outnumbered, and today could very possibly be the day the last of the Great Nations fall, but never forget that we have one thing they do not: The Will of Fire. It is what has sustained us and our ancestors throughout the past, and will lead us into the future. No matter what the outcome of this battle may be, never forget that as long as the Will of Fire exists, Konoha exists. It is a great honor to fight alongside you all."

He grinned widely, holding his arms in an all encompassing gesture. "Now that that's outta the way, lets go kick some ass!"

Loud cheers and yells thundered through the crowd. He nodded, satisfied. They were ready.

* * *

"Sir," a man asked tentatively as he approached the shadowed figure of his boss, "Are you ready to begin the attack?"

Red eyes peered at him out of the darkness. The man visibly began trembling, but reluctantly held his ground.

"Yes, Roku. Let's begin."

Slowly the night stars faded into nothing in the sky, and the sun began barely peeking over the horizon, bathing the area in a crimson light.

* * *

Dodge, Slash, Parry, Thrust.

The mantra repeated itself over and over again in Tenten's head as she fought against the crowd of Sound ninjas surrounding her. She had been separated from her team at the beginning of the battle, and the strain was just starting to get to her.

_That's not to say that I'm still not extremely deadly, though._ She thought wryly as she slayed another one of them with perfect aim, eliciting another roar from the enemy.

Bodies of their comrades lay at her feet, a testament of her skill. She ducked under a kunai thrown at her head and returned the favor with a kunai that impacted the thrower right between the eyes, ignoring a ninja's scream of pain behind her as he was impaled by the kunai from his own comrade. Without pausing she spun around to block a stab from another attacker who had swung at her with a large sword. She ruthlessly slit his throat before diving to the side to dodge a barrage of shuriken.

As she rolled to her feet, her danger sense kicked in. The ground began rumbling beneath her and a loud whooshing sound, much like the wind began pulsating in her ears. The enemy ninjas retreated a few steps, leaving her alone amongst their fallen comrades. She warily watched them go, her eyes keeping a close view of her surroundings.

_What-?_

A flash of red. Instinctively, Tenten reached in her pouch for her last kunai as she spun around to face her opponent. As their eyes met she felt hair on the back of her neck stand up and-

Suddenly, everything stopped.

* * *

Shikamaru ran a tired hand through his hair as he attempted to survey the battle. It was going badly. There were just too many of them. The Sound forces were slowly advancing their position through sheer numbers. Too make matters worse, many of Konoha's ninjas were getting tired. Over three hundred had been confirmed dead or injured, and several hundred more were suffering from chakra exhaustion. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. They were running out of time.

"Sir!"

He turned around just in time to see a team of exhausted-looking ninja sliding to a stop in front of him, panting heavily. All three of them had various cuts and scrapes all over their bodies. One of them was holding his side, and the other was limping heavily. The third man seemed to be in the best shape, so it was to him that Shikamaru spoke.

"What's the report, Kotetsu?"

"They've forced us into the middle, so now most of our forces are trapped on the peninsula. Our team was one of the last to make it out of there." Shikamaru frowned inwardly as he dismissed them, and the man gave a quick salute before leading his team into the medic tent.

He ran through several strategies in his head before choosing the best one and then turned to the ninja sitting on the ground next to him.

"Ino, contact the Hokage and tell him the situation." She nodded, forming several seals, a look of concentration on her face. After a moment, she looked up.

"Done. He said he already knows, and is working on it."

Shikamaru nodded and sighed, pulling out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. He lit it and took several deep pulls, trying to clear his mind. To the side, a flash of silver caught his eye. The next moment, most of his cigarette lay on the floor, and a shuriken had embedded itself into one of the poles supporting the tent. His mouth opened in shock, and the rest of the cigarette joined the other half on the floor. He gave a bewildered look at Ino, who was humming quietly to herself with her eyes closed.

As if on cue, she opened her eyes and noticed his expression.

"What?" she asked innocently, though he thought he could detect a hint of warning in her voice.

He shook his head, sighing again, before reluctantly placing the lighter back into his pocket.

_Troublesome._

_

* * *

_

"Ugh I'm horrible at earth justus... Where's Gaara when you need him?" Naruto thought distractedly, before feeling a pang of sadness for his fallen friend. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

_"Doton: Doryūheki!" _A large wall of earth cut across the peninsula, effectively sealing it off from the mainland. He swayed a little from the effort, but nodded in satisfaction before resuming his work.

"There, finished." Naruto said, as he applied the finishing touch to the seal with a flourish of his brush. He quickly crossed his hands into his favorite seal with practiced ease.

"_Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Hundreds of clones appeared all around him on the rocky surface, echoing the same confident grin he knew was plastered on his face. The plan he had came up with was pretty outlandish, but it was just crazy enough to work.

"Alright, Let's do this!" Naruto commanded to his army of clones. They all jumped, cheering and screaming loudly into the battle below.

* * *

Jutsus:

Doton: Doryūheki - Earth Wall Technique

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Mass Shadow Clone Technique

Review!


	2. Old Friends

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late-ness of this chapter, my main computer crashed and is now being repaired, so I had to rewrite several parts of this chapter from memory. I'm fairly pleased with the result, and I hope you are as well!

I think I've caught all of them, but if you happen to see any spelling or grammar errors, let me know!

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

**Thoughts from a strong entity, such as Kyuubi**

_"Jutsus"  
_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Believe it.

**Chapter 2: Old Friends**

Uchiha Sasuke calmly stared down at the battle below from his position on top of a rocky outcrop. Everything was going exactly as he had planned. The Konoha ninjas were being forced back into the center of the peninsula, where they could be easily cut down by the Sound nin surrounding them on all sides. It was only a matter of time before Konoha would have to surrender to the inevitable.

And perhaps best of all, his newest and most powerful jutsu was a complete success.

His brow furrowed in thought as he scanned the battlefield, Sharingan eyes revolving slowly. Something did not sit right with the Uchiha. It all seemed to be going _too _well. Konoha had proved to be a thorn in the side to many. Even Madara could not defeat them outright. His under-estimation and arrogance lead to his downfall, and Sasuke vowed that he would not repeat Madara's mistakes. He had planned and gauged every second of the day many many times, working tirelessly to ensure his victory.

"I can not lose today. I WILL NOT lose today." he whispered fiercely, his fists tightening in rage. He breathed slowly in and out to replace his calm mask.

While he may have been displaying the classic Uchiha stoic expression to the outside world, inside he was a tangled web of emotions. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and adrenaline coursed through his veins in waves, the level of which he hadn't felt in years. Almost a decade of waiting and scheming was finally paying off. Konoha was falling and he would finally have his revenge for the destruction of his clan.

After all, he was an avenger.

There was only one wild-card, one thing that could undo all his hard work... The last Uchiha closed his eyes and extended his senses, searching for that familiar chakra that could only belong to one person...

_Dobe, where are you?_

_

* * *

_

Kabuto darted through the remains of what was once Konohagakure, a squad of nin right behind him. He had only managed to gather half of the necessary supplies, but it would have to be enough. According to his spies, the battle was already well underway. If he didn't hurry, he could miss the battle completely.

And that would be unacceptable.

**_Hurry Kabuto._**

The voiced hissed in his brain without warning, nearly causing him to stumble over the rubble that was once the Hokage Tower. He didn't answer the voice, but sped up his pace, forcing those behind him to increase their speed as well.

Ten minutes later, he leapt over a large wall to enter the only part of Konoha left completely intact. The squad landed roughly behind him, breathing heavily. After catching their breath, one of them spoke, her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness of the early morning.

"So, this is the infamous Uchiha compound?"

Kabuto simply nodded.

The compound lay quiet in the early morning hours, yet the medic nin couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The air seemed heavier here, denser, and it seemed to weigh down on him with each breath he took. It was as if he had just stepped into a new world. There were no birds chirping, no squirrels chattering, not even the faint whooshing sound of plants rustling in the wind could be heard.

Only silence.

He could tell the others felt it to, and for a moment they just stared at the deathly silent compound, eyes darting left and right down the long empty streets, as if looking for something, what exactly none of them were certain.

The longer he stared the more uneasy he felt. Kabuto mentally shook himself. Now was not the time to be distracted.

"Quit gawking. You know what we have to do. Let's go."

As one they entered the Uchiha District.

* * *

With a loud thump, something warm and heavy landed on a Sound Ninja's back. He paused in his charge and his neck whirled around so fast it cracked. He raised his kunai, body tensed, ready to eliminate the threat. What he saw though, froze him in his tracks.

"Hiya cutie! Whatcha' doing?"

It was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her luxuriously silky blond hair was tied up into two long pig-tails, giving her an adorably innocent look. Further enforcing this look was a revealing school-girl outfit, which fabulously displayed her womanly curves. She giggled and winked, and all thoughts of battle fled his mind. He grinned stupidly, and the girl smiled back. Yet when she spoke again, her voice sounded much different.

_"Bunshin Daibakuha!" _

The woman exploded, sending the man across the water, where he skipped several times on the surface before sinking below the choppy waves.

Similar scenes were happening all over the battleground. Though some of the more battle-hardened men managed to destroy the clones (or in some cases, their furious kunoichi teammates did), many did not. Almost simultaneously, small explosions occurred all around the small peninsula, turning most of the rocky cliffs surrounding it into nothing but rubble.

* * *

Peering closely at the battle going on through a crystal viewing orb, Shikamaru sat in the corner of the Tactics Tent, writing down notes for Ino to mentally pass along to the field commanders when she returned. It seemed that at least for the moment, a decent portion of Sound ninja were out of comission. It wasn't quite as effective as he would have liked, but it would have to do for now.

_Good Job Naruto._

"Shikamaru!" A voice screeched.

He jumped as the tent flap was thrown open and Ino slid to a stop inside, gasping for breath. She appeared more nervous and (dare he say it)afraid than Shikamaru had seen her in a very long time.

"Ino?" He questioned, surprised by the look of panic on her face.

"More Sound nins... closing... in fast ..." she said in between breaths. The rest of the Tactics team gasped.

"What?" he asked, shocked. "The report said that reinforcements wouldn't be able to make it here for at least a week!"

"I know," she said, looking grim. "But I've seen it with my own eyes. They must've known we were coming. The main force is to the south and heading straight toward our camp."

Shikamaru stiffly sat back down, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to ignore the feeling of hopelessness growing in the back of his mind.

"How many?" He asked.

If possible, Ino's expression became even more grim at the question.

"More than we ever imagined."

* * *

Naruto leaped backwards just as a kunai landed in the exact spot he had been a second earlier. He skidded to a stop as he turned to face his attacker. The bodies of his ANBU guard lay still several feet away. For an instant, blue eyes met red. Then Naruto made a single handsign, and the enormous seal he had created on the side of the barrier turned bright red, before slowly fading to black.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as his opponent flashed through a quick hand sign again, bracing himself. The seal turned white hot and began to sizzle. Moments later, the giant exploding tag seal did just what it was designed to do.

* * *

Far below, Inuzuka Kiba was fighting a particularly annoying Sound Jounin when he saw a bright light flash from out of the corner of his eye. His opponent saw it too, and the Jounin took one look upward before running away, looking as terrified as if he was being chased by a pack of the Inuzuka best dog-nins. Curious as to what could have scared away such a high-level ninja, Kiba glanced in the direction of the flash. Hundreds of feet above him, the design of a gigantic seal that he knew very well (though he had never seen one so large) began to glow, and his jaw dropped.

"Holy -"

But before he could utter another word, the roar of the explosion had reached him.

* * *

Both men were thrown backward by the sheer force of the explosion. Ninjas on the beach sprinted for any cover they could find, for the choppy waves had suddenly transformed into tidal waves as aftershocks rippled through the area, threatening to drown friend and foe alike. Large chunks of the earth barrier fell from the sky like rain, eliciting screams of pain and fear. To them it seemed as if the world was wrenching itself apart. The bottom half of the barrier mostly remained intact, while the top half was nothing but rubble. Ninjas from both sides ran in confusion, trying to dodge the deadly debris.

Then a blood-thirsty roar echoed across the land, and everyone below froze in fright.

As one, they looked upward, where from far above them, two figures appeared to rise up on the barrier.

Naruto carefully stepped out near the edge of the wall, balancing himself on the shifty rocks. Sasuke stood several yards away on the other side, arms crossed, his classic stoic expression adorning his face. He studied the wall for a few seconds before he spoke.

"You've gotten stronger, dobe."

The Hokage just glared, his now feral-looking red eyes never leaving the Uchiha. When he spoke, his voice was full of contempt.

"You haven't."

A brief flash of annoyance graced the Uchiha's face, but it was gone so quickly Naruto wondered whether or not it had ever been there at all.

"Hmph, we'll see who the stronger one is soon enough." Sasuke said in that same irritatingly calm voice as he shifted into a battle stance. Naruto did likewise, his eyes still boring into his former friend. Today, there would be no mercy. The last Uchiha was a threat to Konoha, and he would eliminate any threat to his village, his family.

A lone leaf slowly spiraled gracefully to the ground, the last remnant of a tree that was destroyed during the explosion. At nearly the precise moment when the leaf touched the ground, Naruto leapt at Sasuke, determined to finish the battle that had started a long time ago.

Somehow he knew that only one of them would survive this battle, and he had a suspicion that Sasuke knew it too. There would be no more running. This... whatever it was between them, would finally end.

And he was right.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The fate of Tenten is revealed!

Justus:

Bunshin Daibakuha - Exploding Clone Technique

Review!


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